Assassin’s Creed Shadows Review – League of its Own

There’s a lot riding on Assassin’s Creed Shadows. It arrives at a time when Ubisoft is struggling like it has never struggled before, as evidenced by a string of high-profile failures, either critical or commercial (or both). Meanwhile, after the divisiveness of 2020’s commercial megahit Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the Assassin’s Creed franchise itself also feels similarly in need of a win, if not quite to the same degree. That, combined with a turbulent pre-release cycle that was marked by a couple of unexpected delays, puts unprecedented pressure on Shadows to succeed. Oh, and let’s not forget about the fact that this is finally the Assassin’s Creed game set in feudal Japan that we’ve been waiting for for so long (even if some have made the argument that Ghost of Tsushima may have eaten Assassin’s Creed’s lunch before it could even come to the table).

Thankfully, Assassin’s Creed Shadows doesn’t buckle under the pressure. If anything, it flourishes. It’s an exceptionally strong outing for the long-running franchise that excels in most areas of significance, and one that also manages to capture the classic strengths of Assassin’s Creed that the series has consistently moved away from in recent years- stealth and parkour chief among them. Coming from the team that brought us Assassin’s Creed Syndicate and Odyssey, Shadows is yet another notch on the belt and one of the best Assassin’s Creed games in years.

"Coming from the team that brought us Assassin’s Creed Syndicate and Odyssey, Shadows is yet another notch on the belt and one of the best Assassin’s Creed games in years."

Set in late 16th-century Japan, Assassin’s Creed Shadows tells its story through the perspective of two protagonists- Yasuke, an African samurai and the first ever Assassin’s Creed protagonist to be based on a real historical figure; and Naoe, a young shinobi with revenge on her mind who is looking to fight against the growing tide of evil in Japan. Like all Assassin’s Creed games, Shadows blends its story of a shadow war between ancient orders with historical fiction, with the focus this time being on a ravaging civil war at the tail end of the Sengoku period, with Oda Nobunaga’s armies sweeping across the nation.

With both Assassin’s Creed Syndicate and Odyssey, Ubisoft Quebec proved itself more than capable of crating compelling, charming, and endearing protagonists, and Shadows follows in their footsteps. Yasuke and Naoe are both excellent, charismatic leads, not only as individual characters, but also because of the bond that they forge and the dynamic that they share. Meanwhile, the game’s representation of a fascinating period in Japanese history – with several key historical figures, like the aforementioned Nobunaga, also playing roles – also inevitably grabs interest.

Beyond that, however, storytelling is, disappointingly enough, the one area of significance where Assassin’s Creed Shadows falls short of expectations. From clumsy dialogue and interactions to jarring accents for certain side characters that feel weirdly out of time and place, from an abundance of abrupt camera cuts and scene transitions to an equal abundance of characters that range from being actively annoying to being entirely forgettable, the storytelling is glaringly rough and clunky. It’s doubly frustrating because there are moments where Shadows shows glimpses of strong storytelling, with striking cinematography, scene composition, and music choice in certain main story cutscenes, so clearly, it is capable of hitting the right notes. Those moments are few and far between, however, and the overriding impression that Assassin’s Creed Shadows ends up making on the storytelling front is one of disappointing clumsiness.

"There are moments where Shadows shows glimpses of strong storytelling, with striking cinematography, scene composition, and music choice in certain main story cutscenes, so clearly, it is capable of hitting the right notes. Those moments are few and far between, however, and the overriding impression that Assassin’s Creed Shadows ends up making on the storytelling front is one of disappointing clumsiness."

That said, while Shadows does undeniably stumble with its narrative, in all other areas of note, it’s an unequivocal triumph. Nothing exemplifies that better than its open world, which is exactly as well-designed and gorgeous as an Assassin’s Creed feudal Japan map coming at the end of a years-long wait should have been. And let’s get this out of the way first- no, it’s not too massive. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a huge open world map that you could easily spend dozens upon dozens of hours exploring- but in design, scale, the quantity of content, and how that content is doled out, Shadows’ world feels refreshingly restrained, especially compared to its predecessors.

Rather than feeling overwhelmingly massive just for the sake of it, it feels thoughtfully designed. The game also encourages players to observe and immerse themselves in their surroundings- quite explicitly, in fact. Gone is the fully controllable avian companion that all Assassin’s Creed action RPGs have offered players so far, with a new Observe mechanic instead being introduced. Points of interest, resources and loot, quest objectives- all of this and more is spotted and found by observing the world around you, which does a good job of taking you out of the UI and the menus and putting you in the world itself.

That, of course, means it’s also a constant joy to explore- and for more reasons than one. For starters, there’s the plain and simple fact that Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Japan is utterly beautiful, every single step of the way. Comparisons will inevitably be drawn with Ghost of Tsushima, and it clearly does take cues from the Sucker Punch samurai epic. There’s a similar abundance of vibrant and eye-catching colour, much of the world is characterized by gorgeous and varied vegetation that sways liberally in strong gales of wind, and there’s striking vistas and scenes of natural beauty around every corner. Also scattered throughout the map are hubs of civilization of varying scope and sizes, from sparsely populated villages to dense cities like Kyoto. Each location is seeping in atmosphere and feels distinct with unique layouts, gorgeous architecture, natural landmarks that stand out in memory, and more.

"Each location is seeping in atmosphere and feels distinct with unique layouts, gorgeous architecture, natural landmarks that stand out in memory, and more."

The world also feels wonderfully alive thanks to dynamic seasonal changes. Shadows’ world regularly keeps cycling from one season to the next, and as it does, it undergoes significant changes. Winter brings blankets of snow and frozen lakes and rivers, while Spring brings blossoming flowers and verdant fields of flowing grass. Visual changes are also accompanied by gameplay-related changes, like enemies becoming alerted to your presence if they spot your footprints in snow, or icicles in winter being potentially deadly traps or distractions for you to exploit, or blooming bushes in springtime emerging as new hiding spots. Seasonal changes that affect the world and gameplay to meaningful degrees are always an excellent-sounding idea on paper, but all too often games fail to implement it in an effective way. Shadows finds a way to do just that, making its world feel that much more immersive.

Like Valhalla, Shadows also has players regularly returning to a central base of operations, and like in Valhalla, this hub location slowly expands over the course of the game, and yes, is fully customizable. Companions and allies that you recruit join your Hideout and make it their home, and can be spotted going about their lives and conversing with each other. New buildings and facilities can be unlocked, built, and customized, unlocking new mechanics and features, like improved scouting networks, or the ability to upgrade your gear. To top it all off, there’s also a healthy amount of cosmetic options available, allowing you to personalize the Hideout to your heart’s content. It’s a surprisingly fleshed out part of the game, and something many players will likely lose several hours to.

With gorgeous environments and visual design, as well as a healthy amount of optional activities – from finding Kuji-kiri spots as Naoe and learning new Kata as Yasuke to sketching animals in the wild, clearing castles and strongholds of enemies, expanding and personalizing your Hideout, and of course, chasing plenty of collectibles – there’s no shortage of things to do in Shadows’ world. It’s all made even more fun by how much of a blast the map is to navigate. Traversal has, of course, been one of Assassin’s Creed’s key pillars – a core part of its creed, if you will – for as long as Assassin’s Creed has been a thing, but Shadows really outdoes itself in this area- and it does so by returning to the series’ roots.

"Especially as Naoe, who is perhaps the nimblest, fastest, and best-moving Assassin’s Creed protagonist ever, moving about the world and clambering across the rooftops of feudal Japan feels spectacular. Oh, and she’s also equipped with a grappling hook, which makes traversal that much more enjoyable in exactly the manner you’d imagine."

Assassin’s Creed Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla all tweaked the series’ classic parkour mechanics by making virtually every surface in their maps climbable, but much like 2023’s Mirage, Assassin’s Creed Shadows drops that “climb anywhere” approach. Now, you once again have to pay attention to things like handholds, and whether or not that wall you want to climb can actually even be climbed. As such, the world feels much more intentionally designed, and navigation feels significantly more involved and enjoyable. Especially as Naoe, who is perhaps the nimblest, fastest, and best-moving Assassin’s Creed protagonist ever, moving about the world and clambering across the rooftops of feudal Japan feels spectacular. Oh, and she’s also equipped with a grappling hook, which makes traversal that much more enjoyable in exactly the manner you’d imagine.

Parkour isn’t the only area where Assassin’s Creed Shadows feels like a long overdue return to form for what was once one of the series’ core pillars. Back in the olden days, Assassin’s Creed used to be a stealth franchise, something that its action RPG era has consistently distanced itself from as it places increasing emphasis on action and combat. Shadows, however, goes back to the series’ roots and puts stealth front and center once again- and the results are magnificent.

The base moveset for both protagonists is expanded, for starters. In addition to being able to hide and avoid detection in all the ways that past Assassin’s Creed protagonists could, Naoe and Yasuke can also go prone, crawl around, and more, which opens up stealth options in noticeable ways, especially with levels and locations being smartly designed around that expanded moveset, with plenty of varied hiding spots, crawl spaces, entrances and exits, and what have you.

Beyond that, like with parkour, Naoe also serves as the primary driver for the game’s increased focus on stealth. Don’t get me wrong, Yasuke can certainly hold his own here, but if you’re looking to play this as a stealth-focused game, Naoe is definitely going to be your go-to protagonist. On top of her nimble and agile movements allowing her to slink and zip about like the deadly trained shinobi that she is, she also has access to tools such as smoke bombs and bamboo reeds to breathe through while hiding in ponds, or the ability to use her grappling hook to silently hang onto ceilings indoors with soldiers directly below her and none the wiser about her presence, or, best of all, Eagle Vision, as it was in the classic Assassin’s Creed titles, allowing her to spot and mark enemies through walls.

"Ultimately, between its expanded stealth moveset, Naoe’s impressive skills and tools as a shinobi, and the new light and shadow mechanics, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has an incredible knack for making stealth incredibly fun. At the best of times, the game makes you feel like an absolute badass, like some lethal version of a 16th-century shinobi Batman, hiding in the shadows and perched on the rooftop as you mark your targets for death."

And that’s not all. True to its name, Assassin’s Creed Shadows also makes light and shadow a crucial part of its stealth gameplay loop. When in shadows, Naoe and Yasuke become significantly harder to spot for enemies (unless they get much closer), which means utilizing shadows as hiding spots to your advantage and even dynamically creating new ones by eliminating light sources becomes a big part of the stealth. Infiltrating heavily defended areas is, as such, much better done at night when the shadows are abundant, and destroying light sources – whether from a distance with shuriken or simply by walking up to a candle and extinguishing it – is always recommended. Ultimately, between its expanded stealth moveset, Naoe’s impressive skills and tools as a shinobi, and the new light and shadow mechanics, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has an incredible knack for making stealth incredibly fun. At the best of times, the game makes you feel like an absolute badass, like some lethal version of a 16th-century shinobi Batman, hiding in the shadows and perched on the rooftop as you mark your targets for death.

Incredibly, Assassin’s Creed Shadows doesn’t excel with just its stealth- combat is also an absolute blast, to the extent that I’d say it’s the most fun I’ve had with combat in an Assassin’s Creed game outside of Odyssey. For starters, it feels less button mashy than recent Assassin’s Creed titles, with precise and carefully timed hits, dodges, blocks, and parries being key in pretty much every encounter. Perfectly timed dodges and parries feel incredible, especially when followed up with flurries of light and heavy attacks, each excellently animated and often followed up with brutal animations for finishing moves. Unleashing abilities is also always a thrill, especially with each of them also being accompanied by visually striking flourishes where everything on the screen turns into a colourless paper sketch save for liberal splashes of gruesome and gorgeous red.

Both Yasuke and Naoe can, meanwhile, also summon different companions in both stealth and combat. Recruited at the end of optional character-focused side quests, each brings their own advantages, from a bruiser who can take on multiple enemies at once to a poison-specialist who might be better suited to stealthy scenarios. On top of that, there’s also a variety of weapons to use, from katanas and naginata to kasurigama and kanobo to bows and teppo rifles. Each feels meaningfully different to use, with their own play styles and strengths, and each also feels great to wield and swing around.

"Combat really shines when you’re playing as Yasuke. Every brutal hit, every successful block, every swift sidestep, every enemy slaughtered- ever action when you’re fighting as Yasuke feels tight and immensely satisfying."

Where Naoe is the stealth and parkour specialist, Yasuke, as the veteran samurai, is the star of the show where combat is concerned. Again, Naoe can hold her own in combat if she has to, and thanks to her arsenal of weapons and her agile movements, locking horns with enemies head-on is still always a lot of fun- but combat really shines when you’re playing as Yasuke. Every brutal hit, every successful block, every swift sidestep, every enemy slaughtered- ever action when you’re fighting as Yasuke feels tight and immensely satisfying. Personally, Naoe is definitely my favourite protagonist to play as in Shadows, but at the same time, I’ve ended up having way more fun as Yasuke than I thought I would, which means I’ve also played as him more than I had expected going in.

Combat and stealth both also benefit from well-implemented progression systems. Naoe and Yasuke both share their pool of XP, levels, and Knowledge levels (more on this in a bit), but each of them has their own exclusive skill trees that govern their skill in different categories and with specific weapons. Like other aspects of the game, progression in Assassin’s Creed Shadows feels more measured and restrained than in past Assassin’s Creed action RPGs. There’s obviously plenty of skill trees across both characters, but the total pool of upgrades available feels more condensed and less scattershot. As a result, a majority of the upgrades also feel genuinely rewarding and meaningful.

Similarly, gear also feels less disposable and replaceable than it has felt in virtually every Assassin’s Creed action RPG so far. For starters, you’re encouraged to keep upgrading your gear, which means you won’t be constantly dropping gear pieces for like-for-like replacements that only differ in making the numbers go higher. Mind you, you will still be doing that, but there’s less of it than in, say, Odyssey or Valhalla. Gear in Shadows also feels more valuable thanks to the perks system, especially because the perks that gear comes with are often legitimately useful- like a specific hood adding an extra chunk of damage to Hidden Blade stealth attacks, or a chest piece adding another adrenaline chunk to let you use abilities more often. More than a few times while playing Shadows, I found myself swapping out gear based on the situation at hand.

"Assassin’s Creed Shadows is an absolutely gorgeous experience, not only because of its stellar art design, but also because of impressive tech under the hood that confidently backs it up."

There’s also a new Mastery system. All skill trees for both characters are tiered, which means to unlock each tier, you have to earn a certain number of Knowledge points, which in turn increases your Knowledge rank. Knowledge points are earned by completing certain open world side activities, like finding Kuji-kiri and Kata spots to completing location-specific side activities scattered throughout the map. It’s a clever way of incentivizing exploration further. Some might be frustrated that progression is gated behind exploration, which in turn does make technically optional activities feel less optional. Personally, however, I like the fact that the game not only encourages exploration through strong world world design and gorgeous environments, but also tangible gameplay rewards that feel genuinely impactful.

From a visuals and technical perspective, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a similarly impressive game. It’s an absolutely gorgeous experience, not only because of its stellar art design (and it is stellar), but also because of impressive tech under the hood that confidently backs it up. There admittedly is a certain level of jank here, which has almost become a norm with Assassin’s Creed action RPGs at this point- some occasional texture pop-in, janky animations and facial expressions, and minor glitches here and there. Superficial issues aside, however, the game runs at a rock solid frame rate (especially in Performance Mode, which is what I stuck with for the majority of my time) and is absolutely stunning to look at.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a remarkable triumph because it delivers on the strengths of Assassin’s Creed games past and present alike, blending the strong stealth and parkour of the original titles with the large open world scale and role playing mechanics of the last few entries, even if it does disappoint with its story and storytelling. By also simultaneously keeping a lid on the excess and bloat that have characterized the Assassin’s Creed franchise for over a decade now, Shadows ends up delivering what can comfortably lay claim to being one of the best outings for this long and storied franchise. An Assassin’s Creed game set in Japan was a very long time coming- but now that it’s finally here, I can confidently tell you it was very much worth the wait.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.